News Headlines:

Pakistan's fiery cleric, Govt strike deal

18 Jan 2013, 0002 hrs IST, AGENCIES

Pakistan
government on Thursday (January 17) agreed to appoint a caretaker Prime Minister
by consensus ahead of the next general election as part of a deal struck with
fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri to end his protest near parliament that had put
intense pressure on the country's fragile coalition. The five-point agreement
was hammered out by Qadri and an 11-member government team after five hours of
talks at the site of the protest by thousands of supporters of the
cleric.

The ruling Pakistan People's Party and its allies conceded
most of the demands made by Qadri, including the dissolution of the National
Assembly and electoral reforms. The agreement, which was signed by Qadri, Prime
Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and the members of the government negotiating team,
envisages a key role for the cleric's party, Pakistan Awami Tehreek, in
electoral reforms and the appointment of a caretaker
premier.

“The treasury benches, in complete consensus with
Pakistan Awami Tehreek, will propose names of two honest and impartial persons
for appointment as caretaker Prime Minister," the agreement said. Qadri told his
supporters that the caretaker premier would have to be chosen with "complete
consensus" and his party would not be satisfied if it was only involved in
consultations.

The National Assembly or lower house of parliament
will be dissolved before it completes its term on March 16 so that the polls can
take place within 90 days, the agreement said. Qadri's demand for changes in the
Election Commission will be discussed at a meeting between government leaders
and Pakistan Awami Tehreek representatives in Lahore on January
27.

Law Minister Farooq Naek will convene a meeting of leading
lawyers to discuss proposed changes to the poll panel. A month will be given for
scrutiny of nomination papers for "pre-clearance" of candidates under Articles
62 and 63 of the Constitution by the Election Commission. No candidate will be
allowed to start his campaign until he gets pre-clearance from the poll panel,
the agreement said.

The agreement further said the proposed
electoral reforms will focus on Qadri's demand for enforcement Articles 62, 63
and 218 (3) of the Constitution, the Representation of Peoples' Act and a
Supreme Court judgement for free and fair polls. The two sides also agreed to
withdraw all cases registered against each other during Qadri's protest and to
ensure there are "no acts of victimisation and vendetta".

Qadri asked
his supporters to disperse following the signing of the "Islamabad Long March
Declaration". Other government leaders who addressed the gathering, including
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and Commerce Minister Amin Fahim,
described the agreement between the two sides as a "victory for democracy". The
cleric's supporters began celebrating and shouting slogans after he announced
that the two sides had reached an agreement.

The talks were held
inside Qadri's bulletproof container. Footage on television showed Qadri and the
government leaders, visible through the large windows of the container, engaged
in hectic consultations. Earlier in the day, Qadri extended a deadline he had
set for the government to act on his demands to quit and dissolve the national
and provincial assemblies after being contacted by emissaries for a
dialogue.

The head of the Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran organisation urged
his supporters not to leave till the talks were completed and a written
agreement was hammered out. He said he had set only one condition for talks that
Interior Minister Rehman Malik should not be part of the government delegation.
"We will leave only after victory," he said. Qadri and his followers have been
staging a sit-in near parliament since Tuesday.

Since he marched from
Lahore to Islamabad with his supporters, Qadri has set several deadlines for
action on his demands that have been consistently ignored by the government.
Over the past two days, there has been considerable criticism of Qadri in the
media and social networking websites for bringing scores of women and children
for the protest in Islamabad. Many of the protestors have been sitting out in
the cold and sleeping in the open.

The ruling PPP had earlier said
Qadri's demands could not be implemented without violating the Constitution.
Information Minister Kaira had pointed out that Qadri was demanding sweeping
electoral rolls even though the cleric cannot himself contest polls in Pakistan
as he is a Canadian national. The PPP's efforts to stand up to Qadri received a
shot in the arm yesterday after opposition parties led by the PML-N said they
would oppose any unconstitutional or unlawful attempt to derail the democratic
system.